SEC Championship Game Impacts National Title Outlook

COLUMBIA - This Saturday, the fifth ranked Missouri Tigers will play the third ranked Auburn Tigers in the SEC championship. But this game doesn't only decide the SEC title, it also impacts the national championship picture.

As of right now, there are five teams in the race to play in the national championship game: No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Ohio State, No.3 Auburn, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Missouri.

Florida State and Ohio State are the only two undefeated teams left in the BCS picture. Florida State will face Duke for the ACC championship and Ohio State will play No. 10 ranked Michigan State for the Big Ten championship. Out of all the teams in the race, only Alabama won't be in action this weekend.

No game is more important than the battle of the Tigers for the SEC Championship.

The infographic below shows how the results will effect the final outcome.

Even if both Florida State and Ohio State win Saturday, the SEC champion will be in contention for the BCS championship game.

This is due, in part, to Ohio State's weak regular season schedule and the success of the SEC (the SEC champion has gone on to win the national championship for the last seven years).

Although Alabama is the other one-loss team in the picture, it's hard to consider them for the national championship due to the Tide's loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl last week.

If Florida State and/or Ohio State lose, they could lose consideration for the National Championship game as well. For Florida State, it will be due to Duke's low ranking in the BCS standings. For Ohio State, it will be a combination of the loss and their weak schedule.

That being said, Saturday will be an interesting game for football. The BCS championship game participants will be decided this Sunday during the BCS Bowl Selection Show at 8 pm E.T on ESPN.